Although the traditional Santa Barbara County Fair isn’t happening this year, those seeking this quintessential summer fun can still get their carnival fix at the Santa Maria Fairpark.
Helm and Sons Amusements will continue its Greatest Portable Theme Park at the fairgrounds from July 8 to 11. Helm and Sons is the same company that the Fairpark has historically partnered with to put on the county fair attractions, so attendees will recognize the same types of rides that they know and love, with nearly 30 such amusements to choose from.
“One-price admission gets them into the gates, gets them on all the carnival rides, enjoying any of the entertainment,” said Rebecca Barks, who does PR and marketing for the Fairpark. “You’re not going to have your livestock elements in this portable theme park. … And you won’t have your main stage entertainment.”
In the past, the fair has included concerts, but this year musical entertainment will consist of a live DJ as well as Bubba Bear and the Badland Band’s audio-animatronics show. On Thursday and Friday there will be a monster truck show at the Minetti Arena. For the little ones, the Cub Country Kids Cave will keep children entertained.
All the fair food classics are available for purchase once you’re in. Helm and Sons brought its full carnival menu.
“So you’ll still get those footlong corn dogs, your funnel cakes, all of the things that you know and love about the fair, you’ll still get the majority of that style of food being showcased,” Barks said.
While there won’t be any in-person livestock this year, the fair’s Virtual Livestock Show and Auction will be held just like last year. The show will feature beef, goat, sheep, swine, and replacement heifers for auction, as well as industrial arts, all from local 4-H, FFA, Grange, and independent students.
“We have about 200 exhibitors that have raised livestock that are registered to sell in our virtual auction,” Barks said. “There will be a market class, so these animals will be judged by an official judge and they will have prizes awarded that were generously donated by our sponsors. Then they will sell [on July] 15 and 16, all online. People, businesses can go online and bid on these animals and projects.”
But Barks emphasized that next year, the livestock show will be in person again.
“We worked out the kinks from the first year, so we’re really excited about that,” Barks said of the virtual show. “Moving forward, we’re going back to in-person. This is not the way of the future, this is not how we want it to be. But at least it gives our community something to do.”
She also expects the fair to look back to “normal” next season.
“We’ll be back to that in-person, that week-long [fair],” Barks said. “We may do some tweaks along the way, because we’ve seen how you can kind of do things a little bit differently. We want to come back better, stronger, and just really here for our community.”
Things are looking up now for the Fairpark. But last year, in the thick of the pandemic, the future wasn’t so certain. The Fairpark held “Save the Fair” fundraisers in 2020 to raise money as it struggled from lost revenues.
“What the last year gave us was a chance to really get back to bare bones so that we could survive,” Barks said. “Now that we have survived and we’re able to open up, we want to come back better and stronger, and really use the money wisely for this Fairpark. … Last year it was, ‘Let’s just keep the lights on,’ and this year it’s, ‘Let’s get back to fun.’”
Tickets for the Greatest Portable Theme Park are $30 for ages 10 and under and $40 for ages 11 and older. Purchase tickets on the Helm and Sons website.
Highlight
• Santa Barbara Humane announced the launch of its Confident Canine School of Behavior dog training program at a new training facility in Santa Maria. “The Confident Canine School of Behavior promises to strengthen the bond between dog and owner while addressing common behavioral issues,” according to Santa Barbara Humane. “The program is led by Santa Barbara Humane’s highly trained behavior team, which includes five humane certified dog trainers. The program provides three affordable classes, each targeted to a specific behavioral need.” The new training facility is located at 1517 Stowell Center Plaza, suite B, in Santa Maria, and classes are offered in both Santa Maria and Santa Barbara, with scholarships available for those who qualify. More information and class registration forms can be found at sbhumane.org/training.
Staff Writer Malea Martin wrote this week’s Spotlight. Send tidbits to spotlight@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 8-15, 2021.